For Game 7 against the Nuggets, Anthony Edwards of the Timberwolves provides the ideal response to Mike Conley’s motivation.
Though they are by no means the most successful team in the world, the Minnesota Timberwolves have recently made some encouraging progress. In the winner-take-all Game 7 on Sunday, the team may advance to its first Western Conference Finals appearance since 2004 if it defeats the Denver Nuggets.
According to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, Wolves guard Mike Conley may not have the best record in Game 7, but it doesn’t stop Anthony Edwards. “My goal is to succeed for myself,” Edwards said. It has nothing to do with me because I wasn’t there when Mike was playing Game 7. Yes, I do want to succeed personally. Three times with the Memphis Grizzlies and once with the Utah Jazz, Conley was defeated in Game 7. Furthermore, he only saw the Conference Finals once, in 2013, as the Grizzlies were defeated by the San Antonio Spurs in a sweep.
In situations like this, being young pays off. Edwards is too young to be concerned by the painful postseason past of Conley or the Wolves. The 22-year-old intends to pave his own route in life. What are the odds that Minnesota will pull off an unlikely victory over the reigning champions? In an elimination game on Thursday, Edwards showed he could step up by scoring the most points of any player (8 of 17), pulling down four rebounds, and dishing out four assists in 34 minutes. After destroying the Nuggets 115–70, the Wolves forced a Game 7 at Ball Arena in Denver.
Harrison Wind of DNVR Sports provided an analysis of Edwards’ greatness from Nuggets coach Micah Malone. It’s clear that he is unguardable, Malone stated bluntly. Aside from his lackluster effort in Game 5, Edwards has been remarkably lively. In this series alone, the Georgia alum has scored forty points or more twice. On Sunday, he could have to do it once more.
Denver can rely on its well-balanced offense in addition to the crowd support from home. Michael Porter Jr., Jamal Murray, and Nikola Jokic can all step it up when it counts most. On the other hand, Karl-Anthony Towns, a center, is a respectable second option for Minnesota, averaging 18.4 points per game in the playoffs, but Edwards is the only real threat off the dribble.
